...in wake of yet another horrific tragedy involving a rampage shooting, I thought that it was time to put into writing an idea that I've had floating around for a long time. So, here goes...
Instead of clamping down on guns, we go about it another way- we clamp down on bullets. You want a stockpile of firearms? Fine. But good luck stockpiling ammo. I realize, of course, that this would take about 50 years to really get gun violence down to a level more in line with the rest Earth. But hey, so would anything else.
It works like this:
Certified target ranges and training facilities would be able to keep as much ammo as they want. You want to go to a range and shoot 1,000 rounds out of your AR15? Fine. But you're not allowed to leave with any ammo. Its kept under tight lock-and-key and signed in and out. Accounted for. When you've gotten it out of your system and you go to leave, a cop checks your weapon and you go through a metal detector. Clean? Great. Smuggling ammo? Busted.
And for the "I keep a 9mm for home protection" crowd? Okay. Fine. Here are three bullets. With a mandatory $500 fee for registering the bullets. You want to go hunting? Okay. Here's eight. Plus $1000 fee for registering the bullets. If you can't hit a deer after eight shots, well, you suck. Done with your hunting trip? Sign back in, maybe get a refund for all the unspent rounds (if any).
Bullet-making material (gun powder, etc.) would also be confined to said certified gun ranges and training facilities and taken off the private market. For activities other than stuffing bullet casing that require the use of gun powder (like movie stunts, civil war reenactments, what-have-you), the intended user would have to file a petition explaining their exact intention.
Get it? You take out the wild-west aspect of our gun culture in this country and make it far, far more responsible. Take away that easy access to munitions. Its a damn start at least.